LONDON (Reuters) -
China, home to the world's biggest
internet population, will see its online economy double as a
percentage of GDP in three to four years, as e-commerce
develops, an official told Reuters on Thursday.
Cai Mingzhao, the vice minister of the State Council
Information Office (SCIO), which oversees the internet, expects
the country's online users to reach 300 million by the end of
this year from a current 230 million.
"The Internet sector accounts for about 7 percent of
China's GDP. As the internet penetration rate increases and
e-commerce becomes more popular, that share should more than
double to 15 percent," said Cai.
China had a roughly 17.7 percent internet penetration rate
as of February, compared with a global average of 19 percent
and 70 percent in the U.S. That is expected to grow to 23
percent by the end of this year.
China's 600 million mobile users will further boost
internet usage when its telecom carriers launch
third-generation mobile phone services later this year.
Cai expects the online industry to boom as payment systems
and credit systems are established. He said Internet groups
were currently focusing on expanding their user base, but would
in time look to adopt paid-for models for premium content such
as downloading videos.
(Reporting by Daisy Ku and Kate Holton; editing by Rory
Channing)
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